So lately Harlow has been seeming a little down in the dumps. If we are up doing something she just sits nearby and seems to shiver a lot. Most of the time I'm sure she is just cold because if we cover her up the shivering stops...but sometimes it takes a while for her to stop. They got new Galileo bones for Christmas and have been chewing like crazy so I suppose she could just be worn out, but still I am slightly concerned. I know this sounds stupid, but her eyes seem ...different? Like they are sad...just not like herself. Last night she was kind of weird about eating. Like she wasn't really interested but then she ended up eating like normal after a few seconds. She still gets excited and plays and stuff, and ate fine this morning so I'm not too alarmed. But do you guys think we should see a vet, or have any ideas about what could be wrong with her? (or I you think I am just crazy let me know!) I tend to be kind of overanalytical when it comes to my dogs but I haven't been totally wrong yet...

~Brittany, Degan and Harlow's mom

"It is true that Pit Bulls grab and hold on. But what they most often grab and refuse to let go of is your heart, not your arm."

I would keep an eye on her for the next few days, but a vet visit couldn't hurt if the behavior continues... just to rule out anything physical at least. Sometimes loss of interest in daily activities and loss of appetite can be a sign that something is wrong.As for the shivering... keep that poor baby bundled up outside!

Oh she is always bundled up when she outsde. But she shivers inside too. Granted we keep our thermostat at 67 or 68 and it has been snowy lately, but I figure she shouldn't get too cold inside. I sometimes wonder if she's really sensitive to cold because she spent the first part of her life as a stray in the winter. ( there I go again, personifying!)

~Brittany, Degan and Harlow's mom

"It is true that Pit Bulls grab and hold on. But what they most often grab and refuse to let go of is your heart, not your arm."

Usually, as long as the dog is eating/drinking/pooping okay and is not vomiting, the dog should be fine. However, the "not acting like herself", sad eyes, and the shaking is concerning. Definitely warrants a call to the vet.

How much of the Galileo bone has she eaten? Are you *sure* she hasn't eaten anything unusual? And is she pooping okay -- not straining, no diarrhea or blood and/or mucous?

Never make someone a priority in your life when that someone treats you like an option.

I'd be wondering about anything medical, too. I guess it depends on your budget, but if its a squishy budget, it wouldn't hurt to check...

I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
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"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07

It is really strange... she is still eating, she just isn't as enthusiastic about eating as she has always been. And she played like a maniac this weekend at my dad's house. I am going to keep watching her closely for a few more days and if she still seems weird I will call the vet to see what he thinks.

~Brittany, Degan and Harlow's mom

"It is true that Pit Bulls grab and hold on. But what they most often grab and refuse to let go of is your heart, not your arm."

This whole weekend she was weird about eating. She ate all her meals in full, but we had to put the food on the floor for her to eat it. Usually at my dad's house she is weird about it because we are in a strange place, but goes back to normal when we get home. Tonight though, she wouldn't eat at first, and then she ate a little bit, then got distracted and ran off, then I put some pieces on the floor and she came back and ended up eating her whole bowl of food, but wouldn't eat it out of the bowl until it was down to one layer of food. I googled it and saw everything from cancer to stubbornness, to depression and about a thousand other things... so now we will definitely be calling the vet tomorrow...and I'm just hoping for the best.

~Brittany, Degan and Harlow's mom

"It is true that Pit Bulls grab and hold on. But what they most often grab and refuse to let go of is your heart, not your arm."

Does she eat out of the same bowl all the time? Did maybe something "foreign" fall into it and scare her?

We had a bug in the water bucket a few weeks ago, and it turned into a major crisis. Daisy drank around it.Faust barked at it, but wouldn't drink.Sepp tried to sniff it, but instead inhaled the water. He then tried to eat it but it kept floating way from him. As a last resort he pawed at it in a frenzy and I ended up w/two gallons of water on the floor.

I'm not second guessing your decision to go to the vet, but try not to freak out until you know more. Like Christine suggested, it could be something totally random that spooked her about the dish. Renee doesn't like to drink out of the water dish at Erin's house for some reason. She gets weird about drinking out of the kitchen water dish, but has no problem with a nearly identical dish in the basement.

She has always had the same bowl... and there hasn't been anything foreign in it. (Christine your bug story reminds me of Degan playing in his bowl... I think he goes after his reflection ). I'm just hoping that feeding her on the floor at my dad's house didn't make her decide that's the only way she'll eat from now on, haha! I also forgot to mention that her breath is back to being absolutely horrendous! We fed them yogurt for a week and it seemed to help but we ran out and haven't been back to the grocery store yet...so I don't know.

I feel like I tend to overreact, but at the same time I would hate myself if I acted like nothing was up and there ended up being something seriously wrong.

( ...maybe my dogs inherited their anxiety from me! )

~Brittany, Degan and Harlow's mom

"It is true that Pit Bulls grab and hold on. But what they most often grab and refuse to let go of is your heart, not your arm."

amazincc wrote:Does she eat out of the same bowl all the time? Did maybe something "foreign" fall into it and scare her?

We had a bug in the water bucket a few weeks ago, and it turned into a major crisis. Daisy drank around it.Faust barked at it, but wouldn't drink.Sepp tried to sniff it, but instead inhaled the water. He then tried to eat it but it kept floating way from him. As a last resort he pawed at it in a frenzy and I ended up w/two gallons of water on the floor.

There's no telling what might spook some dogs.

that little anecdote just gave me a giggle.

I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
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"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07

(I just realized I spelled her name with an o in the title... that's what I get for typing on my phone!)

Anyway, we just got back from the vet. We noticed that she had some thinning of her hair, and skin was really dry on top of everything else...

So the vet did a blood test...

drumroll...

She has hypothyroidism. The vet said it is really unusual because usually dogs her age don't have it, and it's usually seen in Goldens and Labs.

Even though it is a lifelong, non-curable illness, I am honestly kind of relieved to know it's something that is totally manageable. I get so paranoid about cancer, and tumors and other things that would be WAY worse than this.We are starting her on .4mg of thyrosin (i think that is how it's spelled) twice daily for now, and go back in six weeks to see how it is helping. We also are going in for a teeth cleaning sometime in the next few weeks to help with her terrible breath... not looking forward to that because it's really expensive, but necessary.

Thanks again for all the help!

~Brittany, Degan and Harlow's mom

"It is true that Pit Bulls grab and hold on. But what they most often grab and refuse to let go of is your heart, not your arm."